


my son, it is your choice alone

by LightningStarborne



Series: Father of Dragons [2]
Category: Temeraire - Naomi Novik, 天官赐福 - 墨香铜臭 | Tiān Guān Cì Fú - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
Genre: "but LS wouldnt they accuse her of witchcraft", Canon Non-Binary Character, Christianity, Dragons, Heteronormativity, M/M, Misunderstandings, Non-Binary Hua Cheng, Polytheism, Religion, SO, Sexism, bc hua cheng only worships xie lian, but i dont want that, except kinda not really, me bullshitting certain things bc i dont want to think abt it, they dont, yes - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-16
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 04:27:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24747559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LightningStarborne/pseuds/LightningStarborne
Summary: Captain William Laurence was certain that no one in England, or in the entire world, had ever met a woman quite like Hua Cheng. In the face of the scorn of the Chinese dignitaries and the endless curiosity of his dragon, Hua Cheng is the only one who seems to truly have Temeraire's best interests at heart.
Relationships: Huā Chéng/Xiè Lián
Series: Father of Dragons [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1787860
Comments: 36
Kudos: 102





	1. "I made him, idiot"

**Author's Note:**

> i adore having world building that I haven't explained yet.
> 
> also I cannot have a chapter with Hua Cheng and not mention Xie Lian. I was kinda tempted tho, just for the Drama later

Fogged though his brain was because of the laudanum, Laurence remained livid. Even after all of the lies and arguments he had to deal with to keep with Temeraire, the Chinese _still_ wanted to bring in some ‘expert’ to look him over, as if he had not already been poked and prodded by the entire Chinese delegation. Now they wanted to bring in some other man to claim that Laurence had neglected Temeraire in some way so that they could justify getting rid of Laurence.

And, of course, he could see them now, making a fuss so as to try and carry the prince onto the boat. Laurence was tired of their constant disregard for practicality. Some things could be accepted, but others were simply not possible. 

What confused Laurence the most, however, was that the delegation seemed slightly larger than it had been before they arrived at the ship. The Chinese had circled around someone in the center who was not the prince and was only recognizable because they were wearing red.

That person was suddenly very recognizable as they stood up, said something in Chinese, and leapt over the entire Chinese delegation to land on the railing of the ship with no obvious effort. 

“ _Xue Yu_!” Half of the delegation cried as Laurence watched Hammond go pale and all the other men around go red. 

Not that Laurence blamed them, considering the beauty of the woman on the railing. She balanced easily through the landing, crouching to absorb the impact before standing tall. She turned to face the Chinese delegation, leaning over to say something that made Hammond go red, before jumping down on deck.

Had he been less affected by the laudanum, Laurence was certain that he would be just as shocked as the others. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, he could not focus enough to be surprised.

He could, however, appreciate the way she looked. She was taller than any woman that he had met and most men. She wore a long red robe, tall black boots, and silver vambraces that were carved with butterflies. Somehow, the eyepatch covering her right eye only managed to enhance her handsome face. Or maybe that was just Laurence. 

Nothing, however, not even laudanum would keep Laurence down when he saw her stride straight towards Temeraire. 

Laurence cursed under his breath and struggled to his feet, agony shooting through his leg as he attempted to limp after her. Thankfully, Granby noticed and sent a rifleman over to help Laurence work his way over to the flight deck. 

The woman had already begun to speak to Temeraire, who had squinted at her suspiciously when she walked up, but brightened immeasurably when she began to speak.

“My name is Temeraire,” was the first thing Laurence heard as he came up to the pair, “though you are the first of your group to ask me my name rather than tell me.”

Laurence paled as the woman’s gaze went dark at the insult to her group, but was surprised when she instead said, in perfect English, “I do not consider myself a part of their group, though it would certainly please them immensely.”

“You speak English?” Laurence said and she turned her head to note him, but stayed focused on Temeraire.

“Of course,” she said. “I speak all languages of both the dead and the draconic.”

“She greeted me in English, Laurence,” Temeraire said. “No other Chinese person has done that yet.”

“Well they’re all idiots,” the woman said. “Laurence, as in Captain?”

“Yes,” Laurence said as the rifleman settled him down next to Temeraire. “I am Temeraire’s captain.”

“I am Hua Cheng,” she said, “though most dragons call me _a-die_. With Temeraire’s permission, I will be checking him over to ensure that there are no issues.”

Laurence felt the familiar anger well up, but swallowed it down. If she could prove that he had not mistreated Temeraire, then the Chinese would have fewer arguments to separate them. The only issue, of course, was that the others were annoyed that Temeraire had been in battle and this woman would note his scars.

“What issues are you looking for? What does _a-die_ mean?” Temeraire asked, squinting at her again.

“Anything that would suggest mistreatment,” she said. “Any wounds not properly cared for to the best of your doctor’s ability and knowledge. After the physical, I will also check your education, intellectual, and emotional levels. _A-die_ is my connection to the dragons.”

“Why are you so polite?” Temeraire asked and though Laurence expected the woman to become irritated at the interrogation, she looked almost fond instead.

“None of you have done anything to annoy me or hurt _gege_ ,” Hua Cheng said, “so there is no reason to be rude yet.”

“The rest of the Chinese delegation are rude,” Temeraire said and Laurence closed his eyes as he whispered the Lord’s prayer.

“I believe we have already established that they are idiots,” she responded with a cheeky grin and Laurence choked. “Are you ready for me to begin?”

“What will you be doing to examine me?” Temeraire asked and at this point, Laurence was certain that Temeraire was asking questions just to see how far Hua Cheng would let him push.

“I will explain everything before I begin,” Hua Cheng began, “as well as the types of questions I will be asking while I work. If any type of examination or types of questions make you uncomfortable, then we will move on to the next one. One moment.”

It was just then that Laurence noticed that the entire Chinese delegation was loitering behind her. Prince Yongxing stood at the front with his hands tucked in his sleeves. When he saw that Hua Cheng had noticed him, Prince Yongxing and the entire delegation linked their fingers together and bowed at the waist.

“What are you all doing here, staring at us?” Hua Cheng asked irritably. “Get lost.”  
  


“We are here to make sure that nothing happens while you are with the Englishmen,” Yoongxing said.

“I’d be more worried about what would happen to anything left in your care,” she snapped back, “considering that you took my dragon and shipped him across the ocean for a shitty reason.”

Laurence blinked at that, fear suddenly gripping his heart.. _Her_ dragon? No wonder she was here, if Temeraire had been meant for her. Not that Laurence would let her have him, no matter how polite she was.

“I am Laurence’s dragon and my own person,” Temeraire growled. “I will not leave him.”

“I don’t expect you to,” she tossed over her shoulder, “unlike several pricks that I could mention. Temeraire chose you and so he will have you, as long as you have treated him as well as you can.”

“Hua Chengzhu!” Yongxing snapped, though he calmed himself a touch when Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow at him. “You cannot accept - or expect us to accept - that a _commoner_ is given a _Lung Tien_.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Hua Cheng said and Laurence, as well as every sailor in earshot turned to stare at her. Even aviator women did not use that kind of language. “I am not the one who insists that only the Imperial family have Celestials. _That_ is all you.”

“Hua-” Yongxing started again, but Hua Cheng cut him off.

“Get out of my sight,” she snarled, “and do not come back until you figure out why that may have pissed me off.”

Yongxing hesitated another moment, but bowed and left after Hua Cheng snapped something in Chinese. His delegation followed him below deck, supervising the placement of the many trunks that they had brought with them.

Laurence was burning with curiosity, but before he could ask her what had set her off so badly, she had already turned back to Temeraire to go over the procedure.

“So the first part is actually already done,” Hua Cheng said. “I know I said that I would tell you everything before I did it, but it was literally just looking at you in general and talking to you.”

“What do you learn from that?” Temeraire asked. “And what did you mean earlier when you said as well as Laurence could treat me?”

“From seeing and talking to you I see that you are a bit skinny for a Celestial, but not for a dragon who has just finished growing,” Hua Cheng said, “which means that you have been fed well, but not too much. You have battle scars that have been well-tended to, so they are not refusing you medical attention. Talking to you shows me that you have learned to speak perfectly well and the way that you address Laurence shows that you are probably not abused.”

“ _Probably_?” Laurence asked, affronted.

“It’s only been ten minutes,” she dismissed, “anything could happen. When I say that he should treat you as well as he can, I mean that sometimes shit happens.”

When Hua Cheng did not elaborate further, Laurence asked for clarification.

“I do not know everything about how dragons are raised here,” she said, “but there is a large difference between refusing to feed a dragon when food is abundant and not being able to feed them. There’s a difference between taking a well trained dragon into battle and beating them for no reason.”

“Ah,” Laurence said in understanding. “So if he were underfed, but I hadn’t the money then you would give more leeway than if I refused to feed him.”

“No,” Hua Cheng said. “I would then put you in a place where you would be able to feed him.”

“What?” Laurence said intelligibly.

Hua Cheng grinned at him and rocked back on her heels. “I would give you either land or money enough to feed him.”

Laurence and Temeraire both stared at her for a moment, though Temeraire’s look had more confusion and less shock. Hua Cheng’s amused grin spread as she moved forward in her examination.

“We are gonna start with the intellectual, emotional, and educational exams,” she said, back to professional. “We’ll do the more intensive physical exam later on. What type of education do your dragons get?”

  
  


~

  
  


Three hours later had Hua Cheng staring down at the paper and brush she’d pulled out her sleeve with an expression much like someone walking to their execution. While she’d agreed that Temeraire was very smart and that Laurence had raised him well in terms of emotional intelligence, she’d had some… interesting words to say about how they taught their dragons.

“It could be worse,” she finally settled on, though her face said ‘if he’d been born wild.’ Throughout her whole tirade, she did a remarkable job of ignoring the small crowd of off-duty men who had begun to crowd around the flight deck to listen and gawk.

“It could also be far better,” Laurence said, though he laid a consoling hand on Temeraire’s snout. Though Hua Cheng had assured him that it was the fault of the Western style of dragon education and not his, Temeraire had still taken the critique to heart.

“He’s smart,” Hua Cheng said, “we will get him up to speed quickly. What do you know about my country?”

Laurence had been dreading this part. He knew that she had to attempt to convince Temeraire to stay in China, it was her duty, but he had liked her and wished that this part would come further in.

Hua Cheng, however, was far more perceptive than Laurence gave her credit for. “Calm down,” she said. “I am not planning on stealing your dragon, I’m just about to do the physical exam and I want to know how much you’ll panic.”

Panic? That was… odd, but Laurence was grateful she was not going to try and take Temeraire. “I had a book of fables and I have heard a few things here and there, but I would not say anything for certain.”

A few people from the crowd shouted out some suggestions, including a few lewd ones that had Laurence glaring at them, though Hua Cheng did not react. The only remotely helpful comment came from an older sailor who had been to China once on a trading ship, about how he had never met a Chinese woman before and how they had unique food.

Hua Cheng just Looked at the man for a minute before sighing and turning back to Laurence. “I mean in reference to cultivation and spiritual energy.”

Laurence blinked. “I read a book of fables wherein the characters often used spiritual weapons or energy to fight, but I thought that they were simply stories.”

“No,” Hua Cheng’s eyes crinkled in amusement. “They are not merely stories, though the technique is very old and therefore very rare.”

“Wait,” a sailor called, “is it like magic? Do you need to deal with the devil to gain it?”

Hua Cheng raised an eyebrow at him and he shrank back a bit. “Every person has spiritual energy in them and we can all channel it. The devil has nothing to do with it.”

“The book of fables we read made it seem as if this spiritual energy is a gift from your gods,” Laurence said and was surprised to hear Hua Cheng snort.

“The gods?” She scoffed. “Unless it is the Emperor himself, do not speak of the gods before me. They are condescending and petty and would not gift humanity anything if they did not need to.”

“Do you not believe in the same gods as your compatriots?” Temeraire asked.

“Oh, I know they exist,” she said. “They are worshipped, they grant prayers, they sit up in their heavenly palaces and look down on the rest of us like they are somehow better because of some trick of fate, but I only worship one god.”

“Is it the God of Abraham?” The same sailor from before asked. “The one we worship here? I did not think that was allowed in China.”

“No,” Hua Cheng said, though her tone was much less scornful than when she spoke of the Chinese pantheon. “I do not know how your God exists in relation to mine, but I do not worship them.”

There was an uneasy murmur going through the sailors, though it was not as bad as it could have been. Laurence had known those who completely rejected the concept of the Lord and he knew that the fallout would not be pretty if Hua Cheng completely renounced Him.

“My god,” Hua Cheng began, and for the first time since she had arrived on the ship, she sounded calm; not merely polite, but truly calm, “is the Emperor of the Gods. The Prince Who Pleased the Gods, the Flower Crowned Martial God, the Scrap God, the God of Lost and Broken Things. I shall worship none but him for as long as I exist in any form.”

Naught could be heard but the wind in the sails and the lapping of the waves on the boat. That kind of devotion was dangerous, but no one opened their mouth to tell her this. Her voice had been reverent, calm, and filled with adoration. Laurence did not know what this god had done to deserve such obsessive devotion, but he made a mental note _not_ to say anything bad about him, ever. He did not think it would go over well.

“As I was saying,” Hua Cheng suddenly switched from devoted believer to the calm expert she had been before, “spiritual energy can be used in many ways. Many attempt to cultivate it to godhood, others use it to hunt beasts that target people, and other people imbue them into objects to create spiritual weapons.”

At this, she unclasped her vambraces, holding them up for both the crew and Temeraire to see. They were exquisitely made, with graceful butterflies dancing over the silver of the armour. Once the crew and Temeraire had a minute to look at them, she fixed them back onto her arms.

“These are one of my spiritual objects,” she said. “I am warning you now because I did not want you to try to lynch me every time I try to use them. Temeraire, this object is what I am going to use to examine you. I will not hurt you, only look. Are you okay with me doing this?”

Temeraire squinted at the vambraces again for a moment before asking, “How do they work?”

“I use my spiritual power to bring the butterflies to life,” she explained. “Once I do that, they will then settle on you to check for any medical problems that I can help with or that were improperly cared for.”

Temeraire thought for a moment before nodding acquiescence. 

Hua Cheng held out her arms, telegraphing every move and Laurence _stared_ as the butterflies on her vambraces began to flap their wings and take to the air. They were silver and translucent and there were suddenly hundreds of them. They settled all over Temeraire, from his snout to his tail.

After they all landed, Hua Cheng’s head twitched minutely, as if darting her eye back and forth, though it did not move. She started marking on her paper once more, only pausing to ask after scars that she certainly could not see from this angle. Laurence answered dutifully, explaining how each one was acquired. 

Once she finished with the paper, Hua Cheng flicked a finger and the butterflies dispersed into thin air. All they left was a faint shimmer in the air before that, too, vanished. There seemed to be no change in their number on her vambraces.

“Alright,” she said. “Temeraire, you are in perfect health.”

Laurence glanced at her in surprise. Even though he agreed, the other Chinese had seemed offended at Temeraire’s battle experience, and he expressed as such to Hua Cheng.

“Why would it bother me?” Hua Cheng asked, genuinely puzzled. “Temeraire was made to be a bit battle hungry, so it stands to reason that he would go into battle.”

By the time that Laurence managed to formulate a response to _that_ comment, Hua Cheng had tucked her brush and paper back into her sleeves and was walking over to Riley to ask about a fire-friendly area to light incense for her god. 

What on Earth did she mean _made_ to be battle hungry?


	2. "I Like To Make People Uncomfortable"

“Captain Laurence!” 

Laurence turned to face Hammond, who was red faced with stress and exertion. Suddenly, Laurence realized that he hadn’t seen the man since Hua Cheng had shown up. He’d lingered nervously around Laurence throughout every other interaction since he’d arrived.

“What do you need, Hammond?” Laurence asked.

“I wanted to talk to you about that woman,” Hammond said. “I do not trust her at all.”

Laurence raised an eyebrow at him. “I don’t especially trust her either, but she has been more polite than the others so far.”

“That’s not it!” Hammond insisted. “It’s just… well…” Hammond shifted from one foot to the other, “It’s what the Chinese are usually like about their women and what they called her when she arrived.”

Laurence frowned. “What do you mean? I know that most people haven’t seen many Chinese women, but I assume that they had just called her by her name.”

“That’s just it, though,” Hammond said. “The Chinese don’t like showing their women - ever. For any reason. I cannot figure out why they allowed her to show herself so blatantly.”

Laurence agreed that it didn’t make sense, but having met the woman, he did not think that it was a matter of ‘letting’ her do anything. If Hua Cheng could criticize the prince without any repercussions, then it would not be too large a stretch to say that she would not be punished for showing herself in public.

Or maybe she was already going to be punished so she did not bother hiding her scorn.

“Alright,” Laurence said. “What about what they called her?”

“If we are being generous - _ very _ generous,” Hammond stammered, “because she was polite and all, then it means ‘Crimson Rain.’”

That was ominous. “If we are not being generous?”

Hammond bit his lip for a moment before answering, “Blood Rain.”

That… that was even worse. “Why did she introduce herself as Hua Cheng instead then?”

“Because it’s my name,” a voice came from behind them, startling both of them. “Blood Rain is my title.”

“Your title?” Laurence asked once he had recovered his wits.

“Yeah,” Hua Cheng - Blood Rain? - said, leaning against the railing next to Laurence. “The full thing is Xuè Yǔ Tàn Huā, or Blood Rain Sought Flower.”

Laurence’s eyebrows raised. That was one hell of a title that he very much hoped was ceremonial. “Why do they call you that?”   
  


“Mostly ‘cause they don’t know any better anymore,” Hua Cheng said, taking a bite out of an apple Laurence was almost certain she had not had before, “but the people like me get titles based on their first big action.”

Everything Laurence had learned in the past  _ minute _ was ominous and he was not sure he wanted to know, but Hammond was already stuttering out a query.

“Yeah,” Hua Cheng said, “people like me. Supremes. I’m Blood Rain, He Xuan is Black Water Sinking Ships - you should be glad he owes me, cause he won’t sink us - and the worst is White Clothed Calamity. Dick. I’m glad he’s dead.”

Laurence and Hammond could do nothing but stare as Hua Cheng threw them a wink and wandered off somewhere else. 

…

…

“Do you ever feel like she says things just to confuse us?” Hammond asked. 

“Yes,” Laurence says. “She seems to be exactly the kind of person who wants to watch the world burn, but not maliciously.”

“More like she doesn’t care to elaborate,” Hammond said. “I wonder what she would be like if she actually cared.”

“That’s almost  _ more _ terrifying,” Laurence said, thinking of the depth of the devotion in her voice when she spoke of her god.

Hammond nodded in mute agreement. 

  
  


~

  
  


At the dinner later that night, Laurence could not help but noticed that Hua Cheng did not eat or drink anything. She simply sat opposite Captain Riley, watching the interactions between the two countries with thinly veiled boredom. 

It was only when Tripp and Ye Bing had broken the silence that Hua Cheng opened her eyes from their half-open state to actually pay attention to the proceedings. She seemed pleasantly surprised by the change in the interactions that went from stiff to almost friendly.

When the Chinese mentioned the incident with the East India Trading Company, Laurence almost expected Hua Cheng to side with them. No matter how polite she was, her values surely aligned with her people. Even when she was critiquing them earlier, it had been for a more personal discussion than this.

“I’m sorry, what?” Hua Cheng said instead, surprising everyone. She continued in chinese, her voice lilting in a question.

One of the elder Chinese responded, and the back and forth went back for a moment before a servant bowed at something that Hua Cheng said and left.

The silence that followed was awkward and unbroken even by the sound of eating. All of the Chinese but Hua Cheng bore confusion on their faces while fury rose in the Englishmen. This tense silence continued to build until the door opened to admit Yongxing, Laurence noted with surprise.

Hua Cheng interrupted him before he even finished bowing. “You didn’t pay the men who brought you here?”

Confusion flashed across Yongxing’s face. “That is why you have summoned me here?”

“Yes,” Hua Cheng stated. “Now tell me. Did you pay the men who brought you here?”

“Of course not,” Yongxing said, “To carry an Imperial Prince on a mission such as ours is an honor-”

“An honor?” Hua Cheng interrupted. “You didn’t pay them because of the great  _ honor _ that is carrying your sorry ass across the ocean to here?”

A deaf sea slug could have heard the disdain dripping from Hua Cheng’s voice and Laurence found himself oddly relieved that she was as offended at the situation as the Englishmen, though he could not for the life of him figure out why.

“Yes,” Yongxing said stiffly. “Anyone would be grateful for the opportunity.”

“Honor and gratitude do not feed you,” Hua Cheng said, her eyebrows rising with every word that Yongxing had said, “and they do not supply a ship for an almost year long journey.”

Laurence watched Yongxing’s jaw clench in irritation, but he simply bowed to Hua Cheng before leaving, the argument cut off before it could begin. The subsequent silence was stifling until Hua Cheng began to speak to the Chinese, explaining what happened from what Laurence garnered when he asked Hammond. 

After they were all finally able to escape the uncomfortable atmosphere and Riley warned the Chinese off the main deck, Laurence saw Hua Cheng leaning against the railing once more, her eyes fixed solidly on the sky. 

“If you have a question, then ask,” she said after Laurence had studied her for a moment.

“I apologize,” Laurence said before he came to stand next to her, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. “I was simply wondering, well, why did you defend us?”

“‘Cause I don’t care,” Hua Cheng said, grinning at the confusion on Laurence’s face. “The only reason why I wouldn’t defend you is cause I’m scared of Yongxing or because I don’t realize why the situation was wrong.”

“I am grateful,” Laurence said, “but I still cannot understand why you would bother to risk Prince Yongxing’s wrath for foreigners that you barely know.”

Hua Cheng turned to face Laurence properly, a considering look on her face before she spoke. “His wrath doesn’t bother me and Yongxing is… rich.  _ Very _ rich. The kind of rich where he has never had to fight to eat or pay for clothes or even just to get a nice vase. Anything he wants, he gets.”

Laurence dithered a moment before saying, “Yes, I had noticed. Why does this relate to your anger?”

“If he were deliberately rude, then I would actually be less angry,” she said, to Laurence’s surprise, “as is, he is showing that he does not understand basic consideration for others. His rich upbringing is a detriment as he takes without care for the harm he leaves behind, because he does not stop to  _ think _ . I cannot stand it.”

“You would prefer him to be openly cruel?” Laurence exclaimed, even as he understood the rest of Hua Cheng’s reasoning.

“It would be hypocritical of me to judge someone for being rude or cruel,” Hua Cheng said easily, leaning back on the railing, “and if he did something I truly disagreed with then I could duel or kill him without an issue. Him being a spoiled princeling is another story.”

“Being rich does not mean that one is spoiled,” Laurence pointed out. “Nor does it mean that one does not think of others.”

“Not always, no,” Hua Cheng said and she directed a fond smile at the sky, “and when one has the political power that always comes with money they then have other issues to contend with. Yongxing has many problems that come with being a prince and his choice of companion, but that does not change the fact that he has never faced any monetary issues.”

“I do not see why that is any issue,” Laurence said, “not to the extent that you extend it to at least. This situation with the East India Trading Company is an issue, certainly, but there should not be a problem in not worrying about where to get your next meal.”

“I’m not sure if you’ve realized,” Hua Cheng said, “but you’ve switched from defending him to defending yourself.”

Running the conversation back in his head, Laurence startled to realize that she was correct. Having noticed Yongxing’s callousness and considerable lack of care for others, Laurence had been annoyed to find himself lumped in with the prince.

“You know what?” Hua Cheng said, watching him as if she could see into his soul. “I think that you’re not bad. A little more knowledge, a little more guidance and I think that you could be great.”

She walked away before Laurence could reply, disappearing below deck. Laurence found himself constantly floundering in the face of her conversations. She was… different from anyone else and far more perceptive than he would like in a potential enemy. Her goals seemed so simple, but it meant that her actions were impossible to anticipate. 

  
  


Laurence drug a hand down his face, heading to the dragon deck to say goodnight to Temeraire before going to sleep himself.

Unfortunately, Laurence found himself unable to sleep. He dozed until, eventually, he swung himself up and limped back up to the dragon deck. It was late still, barely any moon, and the deck was quiet under Riley’s stern gaze.

Temeraire, of course, was an incorrigible worrywart, though Laurence was perfectly fine, especially once he was curled up into his dragon’s side. 

“You are comfortable enough?” Laurence checked after Temeraire urged him back inside and felt the warmth through the dragon deck as Temeraire explained and nudged him away. 

  
  
  


After being awoken, the battle with the Fluer-du-Nuit went nothing like Laurence expected. In a standard battle against the night fliers, flares were essential in seeing the other beast and blinding them.

This changed when Hua Cheng stepped onto the deck. At first, Laurence was shocked, though he was more focussed on the battle than he was on her, but she had walked out as if going for a walk in the absent moonlight. 

She had stared up at the battle for a moment, twirling a bright red umbrella that she had laid on her shoulder, before holding one arm out and lighting the sky with  _ millions _ of butterflies. Every scale of the Fluer-du-Nuit was visible as well as the encroaching frigates and, having noticed their disadvantage, the dragon fled before Temeraire could fight her.

Unfortunately, the frigates remained. 

The arrival of the rest of their formation and the subsequent surrender of the enemy was a relief; while the  _ Allegiance _ could survive being raked, Temeraire was already hurt, and many would die in the battle. A swift victory was much more decisive, though everyone would mourn the many who died in the ship Temeraire had tipped. 

Hua Cheng pulled the butterflies back once the battle was ended, even as she argued with Keynes. 

“No,” she snapped while Keynes gestured with a hot iron. “This method will wreck half of his chest muscle and leave him bound for weeks. If I pull it out then he will fly again in a week.”

“Excuse me,” Keynes said indignantly, “but last I checked you are not a dragon surgeon.”

Rolling her eyes, Hua Cheng ignored him and stepped closer Temeraire, even as Keynes shouted. She laid her hands on the ball and let her butterflies out once more. The butterflies sunk into Temeraires skin and, slowly but surely, the ball came out of his chest without the need to cut into him at all.

The skin was mauled by the ball, but Hua Cheng muttered at Temeraire to keep still and Laurence watched as part of the wound began to stitch itself back together. It wasn’t completely healed, but even Laurence could see that the healing time would be reduced significantly.

Laurence gave a brief explanation to the other captains, both of her abilities and of her duties. Hua Cheng had immediately proved herself comfortable with dragons by ignoring the captains in favor of talking to their dragons instead. 

“She has not hidden herself at all,” Harcourt marvelled as Hua Cheng exclaimed over Lily’s colors.

“Not even a little bit,” Laurence said a little despairingly. “I am beginning to believe she has no sense of shame or propriety.”

“Is it that she’s from the East, do you think?” Warren asked. “They do things differently around there.”

“No,” Laurence said. “They apparently do not usually show their women at all and the Chinese aboard are very nervous of her.”

Their conversation shifted into a discussion of boats versus ships and information on the war. Laurence was sad to see them go when they left, though he wouldn’t curse them with his own difficulties. 

Especially once Yongxing attempted to ban him from riding with Temeraire and Laurence would be lying if he said that he wanted to see Hua Cheng right outside the door of Yongxing’s rooms. He nodded to her a bit more tersely than he usually would to a woman, but Laurence found that he was not interested in talking to any Chinamen right now.

“Sometimes,” she said, and Laurence reigned in his temper, “I think that he forgets who he is.”

“He has certainly forgotten that I am not his to command,” Laurence growled as he limped in the direction of his cabin, “and that Temeraire is  _ not _ his dragon.”

Hua Cheng nodded in agreement, though Laurence’s frustration did not allow for him to be relieved. He simply found himself more annoyed with the lack of information on her actions and desires. 

To his surprise, however, she did not try to engage him in any conversation on the way to his cabin and only walked with him until they reached her berth. Once there, she only gave him a word of warning.

“I believe they will try another way to get onto the dragon deck,” Hua Cheng said, “so I would advise that you take care until they stop.”

Despite her warning, Laurence still found that Hammond’s machinations led to the Chinese on the dragon deck.

The only benefit to that was that Hua Cheng also came to the dragon deck as often as possible, which made the Chinamen incredibly uncomfortable, though she was never anything less than polite.

(Sometimes Laurence wondered if that was exactly what made them so uncomfortable. They seemed more at ease when Hua Cheng had snapped at the dinner table than they ever were when she gave them a smile sharp enough to cut knives and ever-so-politely spoke to them in Chinese. 

Upon request, she told them that she was asking after their families.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took longer than expected lmao
> 
> I love it when ppl terrify others by being as Polite As Possible
> 
> the next chapter will have more of Hua Cheng and actually changes and shit


	3. Laurence is confused, but Xie Lian is sweet

Laurence found himself a bit baffled by his own thoughts, something that did not happen often. Watching Yongxing teach Temeraire the chinese language and characters annoyed Laurence to no end, yet Hua Cheng had begun teaching Temeraire of China and dragons long before Yongxing ever thought to and Laurence was unconcerned with her.

It was a confounding contrast that Laurence could not understand, especially as Hua Cheng began to teach a bit of Chinese to the crew as well, which should have annoyed him as well.

“So I would be Roland- _ shidi _ ?” Roland asked after Hua Cheng had explained the concept of martial siblings in terms of rank.

“ _ Shimei _ is the female equivalent,” Hua Cheng replied and though Laurence’s immediate concern was for her identity, he noticed that there were none of the  _ Allegiance’s  _ crew within earshot. “So you would be Roland- _ shimei _ to everyone except Dyers, who is younger than you, which means that you would be Roland- _ shijie _ to him and he would be Dyers- _ shidi _ to you.”

“What if you have someone who’s of higher rank, but is younger?” Granby asked.

“Rank always trumps age,” Hua Cheng said. “Though in that case, you would probably just refer to the title for the person of higher rank.”

“Excuse me,” Laurence said and watched a good chunk of his crew jump guiltily at his voice, though Hua Cheng simply gave a roguish smile. “We will be stopping at Cape Coast to pick up some extra supplies. I would like to limit our contact with the colony, but if you have any letters that you would like to send back home, I would advise getting started.”

Everyone immediately began to scurry about, searching for pen and paper to write back home with, even, to Laurence’s immense surprise, Hua Cheng, who sat next to the railing and pulled out a brush and some paper to write in nigh-illegible calligraphy. Laurence settled himself on the dragon deck next to Temeraire and began to doze.

The sounds of the ship and his crew moving about was soothing in its own way and it wasn’t until an argument broke out that Laurene was broken of his stupor. When Hua Cheng’s scathing tones raised over the argument, Laurence discovered that his own crew was involved in the argument.

“-but you had to insult all of those who are companion to dragons, so I cannot let your comment fly,” Hua Cheng’s voice was calm in a way that made one think of the eye of a hurricane, “which also means that I’ve met brick walls with more sense than you.”

“What is going on here?” Laurence demanded as he arrived on scene at the same time that Captain Riley emerged from his cabin to head over.

“I would very much like to know the same thing,” Riley said.

“This woman came out of nowhere and started insulting me for no reason!” Reynolds, an officer, exclaimed.

“You are not worth my scorn,” Hua Cheng responded calmly. “You are barely worth the end of my saber, if you were brave enough to fight me.”

“I would not fight you anyway,” Reynolds snarled. “Ju-”

“Enough!” Laurence snapped. “Reynolds, did you or did you not insult aviators?”

Reynolds shifted his weight anxiously for a moment, then Riley snapped at him and he responded affirmatively.

“I do not care about the rest of the aviators,” Hua Cheng stated. “He insulted my husband, so he must answer for his words.”

Shocked to his core, Laurence had to pause for a moment and he could see the others doing the same. What kind of husband allowed his wife to travel across half the world on a ship full of men without any kind of escort? Unfortunately, he had to place that thought aside in order to face the situation at hand.

“I will not duel you,” Reynolds said, though he looked a bit nervous, “or your husband.”

“Did I not say that you are not worth E-ming?” Hua Cheng said in a voice sharper than knives, before she continued far more consideringly. “No, I will not waste my blade on you. Your punishment can wait for your death, wherever you may go.”

With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving a cold spot in Laurence’s heart as well as, Laurence could tell, in Reynolds’.

  
  
  


There were no slave ships in Cape Coast.

Laurence wanted this to be heartening news, but instead it was only concerning. The lack made the place brighter and happier as a whole, but there was no explanation for  _ why _ they weren’t there, so instead he just worried. 

The men that brought the supplies onto the  _ Allegiance _ muttered about “a devil in white” when pressed, but refused to elaborate further, glancing around nervously. For now, Laurence decided to put it out of his mind until it became an issue.

Especially once Hua Cheng decided to head to shore, saying that she would be back before they set sail, in three days. While Laurence was already inclined to worry, her absence did not truly become an issue until two of his men returned from shore with another Chinaman in tow. 

Laurence could not help himself; he stared askance at Martin and Blythe, before turning to watch the young man as he spoke to Temeraire in chinese.

The Chinaman was young, no older than twenty-two though Laurence would guess closer to seventeen. He wore the shabbiest chinese clothes that Laurence had seen yet, robes that hung on his frame and frayed at the edges with a bamboo hat on his head. His skin was darker than any of the others he had seen as well, sun kissed and contrasting the bit of skin along the edges of his robes. Curiously, the young man also had bandages wrapped around his throat and wrists, and a very odd sword at his waist. 

Martin fidgeted for a moment before bursting out, “He helped us when we were on shore and when we mentioned that we were on a dragon ship he asked to join and he said that he would help where he could if we would give him passage back to China.”

“That does not mean that you should have invited him onboard without my permission,” Laurence said. “I would have to discuss it with Captain Riley first, but now I must explain to him that we have managed to pick up an extra passenger instead.”

Both of them had the decency to look ashamed at themselves, though they knew that Laurence would not throw anyone out without reason.

“If I am too much of a problem then I can find another way home,” a soft voice said from behind him, chinese accent thick but understandable. 

“You are perfectly welcome,” Laurence turned to face the young man, “especially if you are willing to help.”

“Of course,” the young man said, smile small but genuine. “I’m stronger than I look, so I can help you move stuff.”

Laurence nodded. “Good. What’s your name?”

The young man smiled brightly, and bowed slightly as he introduced himself as Xie Lian.

Xie Lian, Laurence discovered, was a bright and helpful young man. He worked quickly and efficiently and, as promised, was much stronger than he looked. It wasn’t until he had single-handedly caught a rolling cannon that was about to hit a sailor that anyone actually thought odd of it and questioned him.

“Are you a…” Laurence took a moment to remember the word that Hua Cheng had used to describe herself, “...cultivator?”

“Yes,” Xie Lian said, helping the sailor to his feet. “I’ve been one for some time.”

“We have another cultivator on board right now,” Laurence said. “Do you have any of the spiritual weapons that we should know about?”

Xie Lian immediately nodded, and held out his arm to show Laurence his bandaged wrist. “This is Ruoye,” he then gestured to the sword at his waist, “and this is E-ming.”

The name of the saber tugged a memory in Laurence’s head, but he couldn’t quite remember and so pushed the thought aside and gestured at Xie Lian to continue his work. He was really quite helpful.

By the time that evening rolled around, Xie Lian had endeared himself to most of both Temeraire’s crew and the crew of the  _ Allegiance _ . It was almost miraculous how he managed to be the right kind of awkward, sweet, and helpful to make most people like him. Oddly enough, he didn’t seem to realize that people liked him at all.

“Everyone here is so friendly,” Xie Lian said, voice bright and happy, “and I’ve learned so many new words in English!”

“Good lord,” Granby muttered and Laurence couldn’t help but wince in agreement.

Sitting next to Roland on a bench, Xie Lian seemed not to notice their reactions and started asking the girl about her trigonometry, claiming that he had never heard the concept in English before and translating the ideas into Chinese upon Temeraire’s request. 

As they roped Dyers into helping explain some of the more specific concepts, Laurence settled himself on Temeraire’s talon and spoke with Granby of the ‘white devil’ that they had heard of onshore. While it wasn’t likely to be a problem (and was probably just some individual causing issues), it was best to keep an eye out in case of issues.

As the conversation flowed naturally and the discussion between the young ones became spirited, Laurence completely forgot about Hua Cheng’s return until her voice rang over the dragon deck.

“I thought I heard  _ gege _ ’s voice,” she said, voice inordinately fond as she walked up behind Xie Lian and - without so much as a by your leave - slipped herself onto the bench behind him and wrapped her arms around him tightly, chin on his shoulder.

Ignoring the sudden silence and flabbergasted stares, Xie Lian simply laughed lightly and blushed deeply, dragging his next words out, “San Niang!”

“I’m here,  _ gege _ ,” Hua Cheng said, hiding her smile in his neck. “I see you’ve met the crew and Temeraire. What do you think?”

“The crew is so nice!” Xie Lian said. “I think that having someone introduce you makes everything a lot easier.”

“Oh?” Hua Cheng said, eye glinting. “Do tell,  _ gege _ .”

“Well,” Xie Lian said, “even when I was doing things I was better at, people never seemed to like me when I was homeless. Here, even though I am not good at lots of these things, they like me regardless.”

“ _ Gege _ is so smart, as usual,” Hua Cheng said, rubbing her cheek against Xie Lian’s. “I’m glad that people here respect  _ gege _ ’s talent and skill.”

“You, uh,” Granby said, “you two know each other?”

Laurence would argue that they more than just  _ knew _ each other, if their actions were in any way indicative of their relation.

“Of course,” Hua Cheng said and she sounded more pleased than Laurence had ever heard her, “ _ gege _ is my husband.”

  
  


Nearly positive that he wasn’t the only one, Laurence turned to look at Xie Lian in a new light. A young man who just shows up on a boat is one thing; a young man married to  _ Hua Cheng _ was a completely new set of rules and Laurence wasn’t sure how to feel.

On one hand, Xie Lian seemed completely at ease with Hua Cheng, happily telling her of his trip that led to Cape Cove. On the other, Laurence would be surprised to learn that Xie Lian was older than twenty while Hua Cheng had to be closer to thirty. (No matter what the noblemen at parties argued, large age gaps in arranged marriages almost always led to difficulties for one party or another, and it was usually the younger.)

There was also the consideration of him being Hua Cheng’s husband. While Laurence got along with her, there was no doubt that Hua Cheng was a very particular kind of woman and it would not be the first time that he had misjudged someone. Better to keep an eye on them.

“-and of course, the continent was a bit difficult, but once I got into contact with some of the tribes it was a bit easier,” Xie Lian was saying as Laurence returned his focus to the discussion. “They were very polite after I introduced myself and promis-”

“You travelled over the continent?” Roland interrupted and if he hadn’t been as shocked as her, Laurence would have told her off for interrupting.

“Yes?” Xie Lian said. “It was not the quickest way here, but I wanted to speak to some of the tribes to see how they were doing.”

“I don’t understand,” Laurence admitted. “The people of the African continent do not trust any foreigner who walks upon their shores. There is no possible way to travel through without incurring their wrath.”

Xie Lian shrugged, smiling reticently before continuing, “It’s not that hard as long as you’re polite.”

“ _ Gege _ is just special,” Hua Cheng said with a besotted smile. “He should know this.”

“San Niang,” Xie Lian said, slightly complaining, before turning back to the rest of them. “Excuse me, everyone, but if you don’t mind I am going to go speak to my beloved in private.”

“Of course,” Laurence said, bewildered. “Have a nice night.”

Xie Lian stood and Hua Cheng followed him up, grabbing his hand and almost dragging him below decks after her.

“Am I the only one who is utterly baffled?” Granby asked and received a chorused agreement. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna add more, but that seemed like a good stopping point so here we are.


End file.
